Jon White – From the President’s Office: 07-30-2018

With everything we each deal with on a day-to-day basis, it’s easy to ignore events that don’t directly affect us. Along this line, I read a storylast week about David Tebaubau, a seaweed farmer in the Solomon Islands whose current island home is in danger of being swept away by rising sea levels — the same fate suffered by the first island he moved to 14 years ago. For David (and others like him), climate change and sea level rise aren’t things that will only affect his safety and security in the future, they are directly impacting him now. They are threatening all aspects of his daily life, from the food he eats and where he lives to how he provides for his family and how he will exist in the future. As we communicate the value of ocean science and technology, we can’t lose sight of what’s happening and the people whose food, economic, and homeland securities are under siege right now. And if you ever wonder about the importance of your work, think about David and his family and remember that the world, and especially the ocean, need research, discoveries, and innovations … today.

In Memoriam
Rear Adm. Ken Barbor, U.S. Navy (ret), founding director of the Hydrographic Science Research Center at The University of Southern Mississippi’s (USM) Department of Marine Science, died July 27 in Bay St. Louis. Barbor, 67, was instrumental in partnering the U.S. Navy with Southern Miss to initiate the M.S. in Hydrographic Science as a Category-A recognized program by the International Federation of Surveyors, the International Hydrographic Organization, and the International Cartographic Association. He will be greatly missed, and you can learn more about him here.

Member HighlightShark Week Spotlight: Tagging Smooth Dogfish
Monmouth University scientists watched as a longline baited with dozens of pieces of menhaden was slowly reeled up to the research vessel Nauvoo. One after another after another dogfish sharks came in. The team’s work is part of a larger project meant to examine species habitat use in areas off the coast of New Jersey and New York that are being considered for potential offshore wind farms.